Industry sources admit that cigarette addiction and sleep-related disorders are the main problems affecting most fund managers.

"Our daily schedule is extremely tight. Typically, I arrive at company at 7:30 am to check other countries' stock performance. Then I have to sum up the ideas for the morning session presentation," a fund manager at a Shenzhen-based fund company said.

"When the market opens at 9:30, I have to keep watching the stock movements and read hundreds of investment research reports piling up on my desk, and quite often cannot have my meals regularly," he said.

In sharp contrast to the typical nine-to-five routine of other financial professionals, like bankers, fund managers often have to sacrifice their sleep and food, making them more susceptible to liver or digestive disorders.

Fund managers have been gold-collar jobs that many people sought, especially when the fund investment industry started to blossom in 2007.

The mainland stock index peaked to an all-time high of 6,124 points in 2007 and many investors bought funds for quick returns. That in turn also opened up opportunities for many fund managers.

According to Chinese financial data provider Wind Info, there are around 60 fund companies in the mainland managing over 500 funds since fund investment was officially launched in China in 1997.

However, the strong tide for fund investment receded last year when the mainland stock index sank to as low as 1,664 in October.

According to the fund research center of Galaxy Securities, the average return on investment (RoI) of stock funds in 2008 was -50.63 percent, compared with 104.56 percent a year ago.

Fund managers are also under severe pressure to maintain the rankings of the funds they manage. With the financial performance ranking being published on a weekly and monthly basis, the pressure is all the more. Investors often base their investment decisions on these rankings and hence the pressure on fund managers to perform increases substantially, said a leading fund manager.

"Fund managers also face enormous pressure due to fund redemptions and complaints once its performance deteriorates," he said.

(China Daily July 17, 2009)